Lyons: Commissioner sees no nepotism issue at port

Published: Wednesday, June 26, 2013 at 5:55 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, June 26, 2013 at 5:55 p.m.

It took a county commissioner to give me a surprising new perspective on what looked like an obvious nepotism scandal at Port Manatee.

Everyone else I talked to had the same idea I had about events that led to the arrest of the drug-addicted son of Robert J. Armstrong, the port's chief financial officer and deputy executive director.

The younger Armstrong was allegedly stealing and pawning thousands of dollars worth of electronic items and power tools and such from the port. The son, Robert B. Armstrong, had access to the loot because he also worked there.

He was hired two years ago to cut grass there despite a dozen arrests involving possession of heroin, cocaine, marijuana, oxycodone, Xanax, Klonopin and other drugs.

Given the security concerns at the port — a potential entry point for everything from illegal drug shipments to dirty nuclear bombs smuggled by terrorists — it seems surprising he was approved even for that $10-an-hour job as a grounds laborer. Was influence by his father involved?

A logical guess, I thought. But what makes it more logical is the way the young addict made an amazingly fast rise from part-time grass cutter to full-time employee with an indoor office and a $40,000 salary.

Each step up was approved by a supervisor who sounds in reports like a real fan of the man's work. But maybe that supervisor just knew what his boss wanted. Fast rises up the ladder for grass cutters are only likely for amazingly good and dedicated workers. Employees actively enmeshed in full-blown drug addiction rarely come off that way.

And this young addict was allegedly stealing and pawning everything he could get his hands on at work. It seems unlikely he was doing an exceptionally fabulous job otherwise.

There's more evidence of extreme fatherly favor. Dad tried to keep his son from being busted, by going to pawnshops to buy back items his son stole. The father brought that stuff back to the port without making a report.

That settled it for me. I felt sorry for the dad trying to assist a very messed up son, but that desperate effort was an enabling act that does an addict no good. Had it worked, the young man would have been free to steal more and spend more on drugs.

Want a thieving addict in charge of warehouses at the port? Smugglers and terrorists would.

So the young addict's unusual rise in the ranks had almost certainly been equally enabled, I thought. The elder Armstrong had shown he would do the wrong thing to help his son even when the young man became as undeserving as a port employee could be.

Other administrators would have known about the CFO's influence and gone along with it. And since the port's executive director, Carlos Buqueras, signed the forms for at least the last and biggest of the young addict's promotions, I thought the county would send in someone else to investigate.

Larry Bustle, who as a Manatee County commissioner also acts as Port Authority board member, set me straight.

Bustle said he sees nothing to concern him.

“Bob is doing a good job,” Bustle told me on Friday, referring to the elder Armstrong. He sees no reason to think the CFO had anything to do with his son being hired or getting those promotions.

Bustle also sees no reason, as a board member, to suggest bringing in an outsider to check into it. Executive Director Carlos Buqueras can handle this just fine.

“Carlos is looking into it,” Bustle said. "It's just an administrative and personnel matter.”

No conflict of interest having him do it?

“I think the facts will show Carlos Buqueras had nothing to do with it,” Bustle told me.

I'd bet that Bustle is flagrantly wrong about Armstrong. But he could be right about Buqueras, who was new and may have had no clue what was going on in the way of Armstrong family shenanigans at the expense of the port.

But how the heck can Bustle and the board think Buqueras is the one who should decide if Buqueras had anything to do with it?

Tom Lyons can be contacted at tom.lyons@heraldtribune.com or (941) 361-4964.

<p>It took a county commissioner to give me a surprising new perspective on what looked like an obvious nepotism scandal at Port Manatee.</p><p>Everyone else I talked to had the same idea I had about events that led to the arrest of the drug-addicted son of Robert J. Armstrong, the port's chief financial officer and deputy executive director.</p><p>The younger Armstrong was allegedly stealing and pawning thousands of dollars worth of electronic items and power tools and such from the port. The son, Robert B. Armstrong, had access to the loot because he also worked there.</p><p>He was hired two years ago to cut grass there despite a dozen arrests involving possession of heroin, cocaine, marijuana, oxycodone, Xanax, Klonopin and other drugs.</p><p>Given the security concerns at the port — a potential entry point for everything from illegal drug shipments to dirty nuclear bombs smuggled by terrorists — it seems surprising he was approved even for that $10-an-hour job as a grounds laborer. Was influence by his father involved?</p><p>A logical guess, I thought. But what makes it more logical is the way the young addict made an amazingly fast rise from part-time grass cutter to full-time employee with an indoor office and a $40,000 salary.</p><p>Each step up was approved by a supervisor who sounds in reports like a real fan of the man's work. But maybe that supervisor just knew what his boss wanted. Fast rises up the ladder for grass cutters are only likely for amazingly good and dedicated workers. Employees actively enmeshed in full-blown drug addiction rarely come off that way.</p><p>And this young addict was allegedly stealing and pawning everything he could get his hands on at work. It seems unlikely he was doing an exceptionally fabulous job otherwise.</p><p>There's more evidence of extreme fatherly favor. Dad tried to keep his son from being busted, by going to pawnshops to buy back items his son stole. The father brought that stuff back to the port without making a report.</p><p>That settled it for me. I felt sorry for the dad trying to assist a very messed up son, but that desperate effort was an enabling act that does an addict no good. Had it worked, the young man would have been free to steal more and spend more on drugs.</p><p>Want a thieving addict in charge of warehouses at the port? Smugglers and terrorists would.</p><p>So the young addict's unusual rise in the ranks had almost certainly been equally enabled, I thought. The elder Armstrong had shown he would do the wrong thing to help his son even when the young man became as undeserving as a port employee could be.</p><p>Other administrators would have known about the CFO's influence and gone along with it. And since the port's executive director, Carlos Buqueras, signed the forms for at least the last and biggest of the young addict's promotions, I thought the county would send in someone else to investigate.</p><p>Larry Bustle, who as a Manatee County commissioner also acts as Port Authority board member, set me straight.</p><p>Bustle said he sees nothing to concern him.</p><p>“Bob is doing a good job,” Bustle told me on Friday, referring to the elder Armstrong. He sees no reason to think the CFO had anything to do with his son being hired or getting those promotions.</p><p>Bustle also sees no reason, as a board member, to suggest bringing in an outsider to check into it. Executive Director Carlos Buqueras can handle this just fine.</p><p>“Carlos is looking into it,” Bustle said. "It's just an administrative and personnel matter.”</p><p>No conflict of interest having him do it?</p><p>“I think the facts will show Carlos Buqueras had nothing to do with it,” Bustle told me.</p><p>I'd bet that Bustle is flagrantly wrong about Armstrong. But he could be right about Buqueras, who was new and may have had no clue what was going on in the way of Armstrong family shenanigans at the expense of the port. </p><p>But how the heck can Bustle and the board think Buqueras is the one who should decide if Buqueras had anything to do with it?</p><p><hr /></p><p><i>Tom Lyons can be contacted at tom.lyons@heraldtribune.com or (941) 361-4964.</i></p>